Lane Tech Drops Amundsen 27-0

[Preview of this week’s article in Inside—Booster.]

By Jack Lydon

 Blake Perkins and his Lane Tech Champion lit ‘em up Friday evening defeating the Amundsen Vikings 27-0 at Lane Stadium. The Champions shifted their passing game into high gear scoring their four touchdowns through the air on passes of eight yards, eleven yards, thirty-four yards and thirty-nine yards.

“[Amundsen] really game planned on stopping our run game because we ran so well last week against Whitney [Young]. We really just took what was there. Passing game was there so we leaned on the pass tonight,” said Lane Tech head coach Deshon Conley.

If the Vikings focused on stopping the Champions run game that produced the 35-7 shellacking of Whitney Young last Friday, then the Champions would throw this Friday. And that they did.

Senior quarterback Blake Perkins opened the scoring on the first play of the second quarter with an eight-yard touchdown pass to his twin brother wide-receiver Britton Perkins.

Next came a jump ball pass to senior wide-receiver Taylor Clay in the right corner of the endzone where Clay wrestled the ball out of the hands of the Amundsen defender for the second touchdown.  PAT no good. 13-0 Champions.

Champions scored again with 51.8 seconds left in the half on a thirty-four yard strike up the sideline from Perkins to junior wide-receiver Aiden Andrich and added a two-point conversion to make it 21-0 at the half.

Champions closed out the scoring on another deep ball. This time again to Taylor Clay who continued his acrobatic receiving night by batting the ball back to himself for the reception and then continued down the sideline for the score.

“I was feeling it. All week we have been preparing for this. The coaches gave us good plays. We prepared well for this game. Watched hours and hours of film. I don’t like Amundsen much. We own the North now. They can’t say that anymore,” Perkins said after the game.

“Blake’s a rhythm guy. Since the Bulls [Prep] game, he’s found his rhythm as a quarterback. We don’t pass as much as I would like. Today he made soon really, really, really go throws,” Conley said of his senior quarterback.

It seems for strange but despite the lopsided score the game felt pretty close, in the first half at least. The Vikings were able to move the ball. Amundsen quarterback Jake Seifert’s passes were on time and on target. They moved the ball in chunks on the ground and in the air. They just were not able to put the ball in the endzone. At one point in the third quarter, the Vikings had three tries to score from inside the two-yard line.

It was not to be. The Champions stout defense would not allow it. They stuffed two runs up the middle and a pass in the right flat. It was not Amundsen’s day.   

“We graduated twenty starters last year and starting over this year with guys who don’t have a lot of varsity experience. We know that we had to get better as the year progressed. Unfortunately, it hasn’t gone our way the past six games,” said Amundsen coach Nick Olson.

The Amundsen Vikings are having a rough go this season. They are not actually playing that poorly. It seems at times like it’s one good play and then two bad ones; dropped pass or a penalty. They are not manufacturing any luck—just adversity.

Olson was a little introspective after the game.

“I have never been in this situation in my coaching career. I’ve never had this kind of adversity with a six-game skid. I have only known success here at Amundsen. So this is also a chance for me to grow as a coach and figure out what I can do to help them right the ship,” added Olson

“My guys don’t have any quit in them. I am very proud that we are a neighborhood school. We are not selective enrollment. We don’t have 5,000 kids to pick from. And we are fielding an 89-man roster with a neighborhood school.”

Blessed Bishop Fulton Sheen Beatification

On Thursday, I attended the beatification liturgy for Bishop Fulton Sheen with some family members.

My wife Carol is the first cousin twice removed from the Blessed Fulton Sheen. That means that Bishop Sheen, who died in 1979, was the first cousin of my wife’s grandmother, Veronica Fulton Reeves. Vera and Bishop Sheen, whose actual name at birth was Peter John Sheen, both grew up in El Paso, Illinois, a small town of about 2,500 people about 26 miles north of Bloomington, Illinois.

I actually met Bishop Sheen when I was a boy. My father Daniel P. Lydon was the coordinator of Chicago’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade and he convinced Bishop Sheen to come to the Parade in the middle 1970’s. I think it must have been 1974. I was thirteen years old then. I remember meeting Bishop Sheen very distinctly.

My darling sister, Patricia Delia Lydon, contacted the committee running the ceremony and got some tickets for the family section, right up front in the twelfth row.

It was an amazing ceremony. A full mass celebrated to the Papal Nuncio. There was a procession of hundreds of seminarians and over 1,000 priets and bishops.

It was a such a happy event. I am so glad I got to go. Here are some photos.

DePaul Prep Falls to Joliet Catholic 14-7

[Preview of this week’s article in Inside—Booster.]

By Jack Lydon

In their first ever trip to DePaul Prep, the storied high school football powerhouse Joliet Catholic Hilltoppers (4-2, 3-2) edged the DePaul Prep Rams 14-7.

It was a great start for the Rams (3-3, 1-3). On the first play of the game, Rams’ junior wide receiver Julian Koos bolted up the right sideline. Sophomore quarterback Andrew Campbell looked left and then pumped a deep ball right to Koos. Koos fought the corner and came down with the ball making his way seventy yards down to the Joliet Catholic twelve-yard line. 

On the very next play, Campbell faked a handoff to running back Tyson Hooks and ran the ball into the endzone untouched. Just 44 seconds into the game, the Rams scored and with the extra point, they took a 7-0 lead. Can’t start much better than that.

Despite the fact that at the Rams jumped out to an early seven-point lead, as the game when on, one always had the feeling that it was just a matter of time before the Hilltoppers busted open the game.

The early score by the Rams would prove to be their offensive high point, their only offensive high point. The Hilltoppers big defensive line recovered and dominated the Rams.

“Our defense has been playing great all year. It’s their fourth game holding a team to one touchdown or less. In only one game [the other team] scored more than two [touchdowns], said Joliet Catholic head coach Jake Jaworski of his defense.

“Fast, physical, relentless pursuit,” Jaworski added.

Despite the stifling defense installed by the Hilltoppers, their offense sputtered.

“We were close to popping one here and there. We just couldn’t get it to go. We were close. We got in some good field position; just couldn’t finish drives. Vinny [DiNovo, senior kicker,] came up with two clutch field goals to get us a full possession lead,” Jaworski said.

The diminutive DiNovo, 5’4”, 150 pounds, definitely punches above his weight. It’s rare that a high school team relies on field goals as much as Joliet Catholic did in this game. With the score 7-2 DePaul Prep, DiNovo lined up and nailed 36-yard field goal with 21 seconds left in the half to make the score 7-5.

Midway through the third quarter, with the ball deep in deep in Rams territory at the 27-yard, Jaworski sent DiNovo out to attempt at 47-yard field goal to take the lead. The kick came up just short but it is rare to event attempt that long of a field goal in high school football. It was that close of a game.

“In practice we usually go back to 45, 48 yards. Not the greatest kick on my end,” DiNovo said.

Early in the fourth quarter, time ran out for the Rams. The Hilltoppers finally, and convincingly, put together a drive to score a touchdown and take the lead. Derrick Pomatto scored on a one-yard run up the middle to give JCA an 11-7 lead after that two-point conversion failed.

“Derrick is everything you look for in a three-year starter. He works extremely hard in the weight room to look the way that he does and to be able to play a lot of snaps. Physical downhill runner offensively. And then defensively, a captain on the field. He gets our guys set,” Jaworski said of Pomatto.

“I love calling myself a power back. When I am in there, I am expected to break tackles. That’s what I want to do. Pick up speed and get downhill,” Pomatto said.

It’s been a challenging year for the Rams. Their head coach left after the last school year. A number of players transferred out after that. Coach Nick Bizzieri took over and has exceeded expectations making believers out of his young squad.

“We are so close. A half yard this way, a half yard that way. We are supposed to run the route a twelve, we run it at 13. It’s little tiny details that take a long time to fix,” Bizzieri said.

If this game is any indication, the Rams are that close to turning the corner. Key an eye on this young group.

El Paso Gridley Defeats Tri-Valley 28-7

Family trip brought me to El Paso, Illinois. So we stopped over at the El Paso-Gridley High School to see the #2 ranked 2A Titans take on #4 ranked 2A Tri-Valley Vikings.

Close game for three quarters but the Titan broke in open in fourth quarter to get a 28-7 win.

DePaul Prep Defeats Lane in Two Sets to Win Second Annual Sunset Showdown

Friday night lights took on a new meaning this week. Night-time girls’ volleyball on a football field between Lane Tech and DePaul Prep at DePaul Prep. The Rams defeated the Champions in two sets, 25-23 and 25-16.

Perfect conditions made the evening great fun for all in attendance. DePaul Prep was able to avoid rain and water condensation on the court that hampered play at the recent college volleyball event at Wrigley Field.

The teams were basically even during the first set. With the DePaul Prep Rams maintaining a slight lead thorough out and managing to edge the Champions 25-23. The second set was mostly all Rams. The play of DePaul Prep senior Kalia Kroth stood out boosting the Rams to a ten-point lead early in the second set.

Rams’ senior Audrey Powers came off the bench late in the second set and served up two aces to but the icing on the victory cake and dialing up the energy in stadium.

The Rams are lead by standout player Kalia Kroth, one of the very best volleyball players in the state. Kroth will be attending the University of North Carolina next year and playing division one volleyball at a top volleyball school.

“I feel so honored. I couldn’t do this without my family and friends, my coaches. I am just so proud of everyone. And I hope we just go far. That’s all. Win or lose, I am always proud of my teammates and my coaches,” Kroth said.

The Rams improve to 9-5 on the season. This modest record is a little deceiving given the very tough schedule put together by head coach Caroline Gajzler. The DePaul Prep girls’ volleyball program has dramatically improved in recent years. They have won three straight regional titles. In 2024-2025 season, the Rams made it to the state finals in class 3A. Last year, the Rams fell in the 4A sectional championship game to New Trier. Head coach Caroline Gajzler put together a brutal schedule for the Rams this year.

Gajzler has an amazing .700 winning percentage in her six seasons at DePaul Prep, as her Rams have moved from class 2A to class 4A. The Rams are now on the cusp of being among the elite programs in girls’ volleyball—Benet, New Trier, Mother MacCuley and St. Ignatius.

“Truly it comes down to the girls and the families. They really bought into the culture. Everthing that we have asked of the players and the families, they have bought in. The moment the girls trusted us, it all changed. The sky is the limit for us now. How cool is this event now. Two years in a row. It’s been amazing,” Gajzler said.

“I don’t think there is a secret sauce to it. It’s just every day, every season, you just try to get better. When we first started, it was to win conference in the [GCAC] White. That was our goal—win a few conference matches. Then that became win conference and then that became win regionals.”

Gajzler is the force behind the sunset showdown. Last year after the Nebraska girls’ volleyball team hosted a game in the University of Nebraska’s football stadium to a crowd of 93,000 people, Gajzler pitched the idea of doing the same at DePaul Prep to Athletic Director Patrick Mahoney. Mahoney loved idea even to extent of buying their own outdoor court.

“It’s so cool to see that whole community come out to watch women’s sports. You’re seeing it at the collegiate level; you’re seeing it at the national level. In the last three weeks, you are seeing it in an NFL stadium, an MLB stadium and an NHL stadium college volleyball is being played,” Gajzler said.

Blog Post--Geneva v. St. Charles North Version

I gave some thought to what I want to do with this high school sports coverage. I have basically decided that I will concentrate on covering high school basketball and do other sports as I find time. That means football once a week, or so.

Flag football is becoming a thing. So that needs a little coverage. Volleyball is a fun thing to cover and it’s a challenge to photograph so I like that.

To that end of not being so serious with all the coverage, I went to the Geneva v. St. Charles North football game on Friday night. It was my first trip to Geneva high school. It’s a bit of a sprawling campus in this nice town way out there on the Fox River. The campus is tucked in a residential neighborhood a little northwest of downtown Geneva where the courthouse and all the fancy restaurants are.

I understand that Geneva was largely settled by Scandinavians in the last century. So the team name is “Vikings.” I assume that is the reason.

St. Charles North high school is an off shoot of the old St. Charles high school, which I understand is now St. Charles East high school. St. Charles is the next town north of Geneva. It’s very hard to tell where one town stops and the other starts. Very similar places.

My nieces attend St. Charles North and has the “North Stars” as it team name. Interestingly, they use a polar bear as a mascot, at least in graphics. Why not just be the polar bears.

Mike Clark teases me about my rating of the light in various gyms and stadiums in the Chicagoland area. I often say, “the most important thing in high school basketball is the light in the gym.” No truer words have ever been spoken.

I was surprised with state of the lights at Geneva. They were not very good. Only four light poles. There was enough light be barely enough. I was expecting much better from this wealthy town and school district.

Payton Edges Amundsen 13-12

By Jack Lydon

The Payton Grizzlies edged the Amundsen Vikings 13-12 at Winnemac Stadium Saturday afternoon.

Most of the first half was not pretty. Penalties, fumbles, miscues of all sorts by both teams. Late in the first half, Payton found a rhythm late and put together the first sustained drive of the game. Grizzlies senior quarterback Jackson Peters lead his squad down to the nine-yard line. Senior tight end Kobe Ferguson slipped under the coverage at about the five. Peters dropped a pass into him. Ferguson split defenders and carried his tacklers to goal line stretching the ball over the goal for the first score of the game.

“I did do that. Yes sir. I am the stronger player. I think I’m the best player on the field at all times and I think I proved that today,” Ferguson said. His hyperbolic statement wasn’t too far off. His play was the best play of the game. 

“It’s not supposed to go to Kobe. It was supposed to go to the other big tight end. Kobe just was special and made an incredible play. He’s a beast,” said Payton head Calvin Clark.

There was no quit in the Vikings. Immediately after Ferguson’s touchdown, Amundsen put together a long drive of their own including a gutsy deep sideline pass on fourth down for a 33-yard gain down to Payton’s 3-yard line. Vikings’ senior running back Milton Follmar scored right up the middle. The PAT failed making the half time score was 7-6 Payton.

“We felt confident at half time. We saw things that we liked, things that we could take advantage of,” said Amundsen head coach Nick Olson.

Late in the third quarter, Payton lined up for a 30-yard field goal. The Vikings blocked it. Momentum shifted. On the strength of the running of Amundsen senior quarterback Jake Siefert, who had the bulk of the carries on the drive, the Vikings moved down the field. Siefert scored the go-ahead 12-yard touchdown run with seven minutes to play. Vikings took a 12-7 lead. 

 

“We’ve got this thing called ‘next play.’ We don’t get down. We don’t get on each other. At the end of the day, it is about the next play. It’s about what we can do next,” Clark said.

The Grizzlies were onto the next play. Quarterback Jackson Peters lead his Grizzles methodically down the field bringing up a second and goal from the 6-yard line.

 “We had a pass play queued up. But I had a free end and I knew it was easiest if I just run it in and we win the game,” said Peters.

That he did, putting the Grizzlies ahead 13-12 with 3:31 left. That’s where it would end.

“We are a very young team. I told my coaches [the team is] young. They have never experienced this before. We have a lot of kids that never played football until they got to us. [Payton] just wanted it more and we were not disciplined,” said Amundsen’s Nick Olson.

Payton improves to 3-0 and will face Morgan Park next week. Amundsen falls to 1-2 and will face Bull College Prep.

DePaul Prep Edges Lane Tech 6-0

[Preview of this week’s article in the Inside—Booster.]

By Jack Lydon

DePaul Prep had just enough. Just enough offense and just enough defense to stop Lane Tech on the one-yard line on the last play of the game to preserve a 6-0 victory Friday evening at DePaul Prep (2-0).

The Champions (1-1) literally walked to game by entering the gate between the back of Lane Tech and the DePaul Prep parking lot. That’s how close these schools are and that’s how close this game was.

Despite the obvious proximity of the schools, this game was a long time coming. The last football game between the Rams and Lane Tech was 37 years ago. That was back when the Rams were from Gordon Tech and Lane Tech were the Indians.

Former Gordon Tech and DePaul Prep athletic director Paul Chabura provided some of the history of the Gordon Tech v. Lane Tech football rivalry. Gordon won the football state champion in 1980. That year included two wins over then the Lane Tech Indians. Rams’ 33-0 victory in the regular season and another Rams’ 15-8 victory in the IHSA playoffs.

Gordon played Lane from 1980 to 1989 winning eight straight. Lane the last two including the 1989 playoff game 21-14.

DePaul Prep head basketball coach Tom Kleinshmidt was a sophomore at Gordon in 1989 and told the story about how a fight broke out after the 1989 playoff and spilled over into the McDonalds parking lot across Addison Street.

The football games between the two schools stopped after that incident. More than one of the former Gordon Tech student told the author that the hiatus was because the Lane coach at the time did not want to play the Gordon teams anymore.  

Friday night’s first game of this renewed rivalry was not a thing of beauty. The closest things to scoring plays in the first half were Lane’s missed 49-yard field goal on its opening drive and DePaul Prep’s 47-yard touchdown pass called back for an illegal man downfield late in the first half. The game was marred by frequent penalties on both teams. Frequent cramps afflicted both squads and slowed the game significantly.

A couple big plays in the second half proved the difference. Midway through the third quarter, Rams’ sophomore quarterback and transfer from Joliet Catholic, Andrew Campbell, rolled right and through a screen pass back left to running back, senior and co-captain Zach Stewart. Stewart weaved his way up the sideline braking tackles on his way for a 40-yard gain. A run by Rams junior running back Tyson Hooks brought the ball down to the three. Campbell finished the drive with a 3-yard keeper for the score that proved to be the difference.

The Champions but together what looked like it might be a game winning drive late in the fourth quarter. A beautiful slant pass from senior quarterback Blake Perkins to senior wide receiver Taylor Clay with 28 seconds to play put at the 5-yard line. Three plays followed but the Rams stopped the Champions at the one-yard line on the last play of the game.

Rams won 6-0.

First year DePaul Prep head coach Nick Bizzieri was ebullient, if a little worn out, after the game.

“The defense played lights out. They won the game for us tonight. The offense was sputtering. [Lane] loaded the box with nine guys. We had a hard time getting anything going in the run game. We had an inexperienced quarterback, a sophomore quarterback. But we stuck together,” Bizierri said of his team.

 “They have shown up two weeks in a row now in the second half . . . If there is one thing I can say about this roster is that it’s full of fighters.”

Maybe a little lost in the drama of the final minutes was the play of Rams’ sophomore transfer Andrew Campbell—a young man new to Chicago, new to the school and new to being a starting quarterback. This was his first start for DePaul Prep. He made big throws including the 47-yard touchdown that was called back. A couple difficult against the grain screen passes. No turnovers. And a running touchdown.

“I have practiced here since June or July, I look at [Lane Tech] every single day. The passion grows every single day. We play them next year at their house. That’s gonna be a big game. I am part of the program now, it’s my rivalry too,” Campbell said of the new rivalry with Lane.

DePaul Prep Flag Football Starts Today

DePaul Prep kicks off it’s second season of flag football this evening. The Rams take on Trinity High School at 7:00 p.m., at DePaul Prep stadium.

I had occasion to visit practice yesterday, talk to Coach Mallette and take a few photos. The is the second year of flag football at DePaul Prep and prospects look bright for the young program.

This is only the third season of this sport as an IHSA sport. School participation has nearly doubled since the start in 2024. Only 154 schools then and now it’s up to 234 this year. The Rams will play sixteen games including three home games. There is also a game in works against Lane Tech that is expected to be played at Horner Park. The Girls Catholic Athletic Conference will have sixteen teams.

I confess that I am new to flag football as a high school sport. The games are 48 minutes long with 4 quarters. There are punts but no traditional kick-offs. It’s first and 20 yards for a first down instead of 1st and 10. The Rams will field three teams of 20 players each—a varsity team and a junior varsity A team and B team. The varsity has 15 returning players.

Head Coach Kendall Mallette was cautiously understated in her comments about the upcoming season.

“We are really fortunate to assemble an incredible group of athletes. Most of our girls play two sports. We have a high concentration of basketball players and soccer players and a few track and a few softball [players],” Mallette said.

“We lost in the second round of the playoff last year to the eventual state champions. We were the only team that put points on Maine South in the plays [until the state semi-final game].”

Keep your eyes on this flag football team.

Lane Handles Shepard 28-21

[A preview of this week’s article in the Inside—Booster.]

By Jack Lydon

High school football is back! And the Lane Tech Champions did not disappoint, beating the Shephard Astros 28-21 at Lane Stadium Friday evening.

Lane’s ability to move the ball with effective run-pass combinations proved the difference between these two evenly matched teams. The fun new twin brother quarterback to receiver connection fielded by Lane Tech with seniors Blake Perkins to Britton Perkins added a fun wrinkle to the storyline.

These two evenly matched teams each had a rocky first quarter with almost as many penalty as yards gained on offense.

The game opened up in the second quarter. Lane had the ball at it’s own 33-yard line. Quarterback Blake Britten busted open a keeper for a big gain down to the Shepard 42. Two plays later, Lane’s senior running back Timothy Turner ripped off a thirty-five yard carry to the Shepard 8-yard line on a sneaky counter to the left set up by early plays to the right.

The twin brother combo platter for Blake Perkins to Britton Perkins finished to drive with an 8-yard touchdown throw and catch to the back of the end zone. The Champions were on their way.

Shepard scored on a block punt following the Lane touchdown but struggled on offense until late in the game when it was too little, too late. Lane’s ability to move the ball with an effective running game off underneath passes, including another Perkins-to-Perkins touchdown on a screen pass for a 12-yard touchdown midway through the third quarter, made the score 28-7 Lane.

“The difference was us doing the right thing more than them doing the right thing,” said Lane’s second year head coach Deshon Conley. Conley comes off his first season as Lane’s head coach where the Champions similarly defeated Shepard in the first game of the season and then went on to a 9-2 record.

“Credit to my offensive coordinator because when we did get rolling, he dialed up some great plays. That drive before half time—perfection,” said of Lane coach Titus Perez.

Without overstating the case too much, Perez’s play calls and the execution thereof by the offense, proved the difference in the game.  

“We always script the first half, the first couple drives. I like to set them up. Hopefully, we can hit the shot plays in the second half like we did. The first drive out of the half was our best drive of the game. I think it took three plays and we scored,” Perez said.

In the back of many people’s minds during and after the game was next week’s game. The Champions will literally walk out the back door and across the parking lot to play at DePaul Prep next Friday night.

DePaul Prep, a recent 4A state champion, has a new head coach this year in former Rams’ offensive line coach Nick Bizzieri. Former coach Mike Passarella has moved on to coach in college football.

The DePaul Prep Rams pulled off something of an upset Friday with a comeback 32-22 victory over Richards. While there isn’t much of a rivalry in recent years because of schools rarely play each other, it is getting bigger.

It was formerly a big thing. Decades ago, Lane played Gordon Tech, DePaul Prep predecessor, every year and it was huge neighborhood event.

Lane head coach Conley downplayed the rivalry aspect of this week’s game. “I wouldn’t say it’s a rivalry because we literally don’t play them,” Conley said.

Even so, Conley admitted, “Next week is a big one. We are looking for the whole community to come out.”

Lane offensive coordinator Titus Perez was a little more fired up for the game. “I think it is a thing. The kids are friends; they hang out. So it’s a natural rivalry. It’s going to make for an exciting game,” said Perez.

Get your tickets early. The DePaul Prep stadium will be jam packed.

Ridgewood Live Event 2026

The “Ridgewood Live Event” started Friday. The great part about Ridgewood is that one can readily watch two games and parts of a third game from the same seat in the Ridgewood High School Gym. Ridgewood coach Chris Mroz and his staff do a tremendous job putting on this event.

Early Friday I got to see some top players—Cole Kelly and Brady Pettigrew, and teams I usually cover during the basketball season—DePaul Prep, Benet, Lincoln Park, St. Ignatius, Loyola and Mount Carmel. I wasn’t able to see Lane and St. Laurence. They play today and tomorrow.

Another reason I very much enjoy this “Live” event is that I get to talk to high school basketball observers who know far more than I do on this subject. They usually set me straight on this I thought I knew.

Key take aways—

Cole Kelly looked like great. Scoring inside and out, dropping 3’s, grabbing boards. This junior may be the best player in the state at this point. Except for maybe, Brady Pettigrew was playing on the court next to where Kelly was putting on a show. Pettigrew was playing gingerly after having recently suffered a serious injury. But playing none-the-less and playing well.

DePaul Prep had two games early in the tournament. First was Rock Island. The starting line-up that Coach Kleinschmit went with was Blake Choice, Gus Johnson (now surprises there), then sophomore Kalob Hayes on the point, junior Jacob Only on a wing and junior senior guard Josiah Payne. This can obviously change. It will be interesting to see if and how the line-up changes. Whatever the starting line-up is, we will see a great deal of Elie Ghattas and Henry Levin.

The Rams handled Rock Island. They looked in mid-season form on offence and defense. Blake Choice was scoring inside and out. Gus Johnson took a beating inside from the brutal Rock Island Rocks but scored despite the felonious aggression of the Rocks. Caleb Hayes finished his layups which is great to see in a sophomore point guard.

The Rams’ second game, an hour after the first, was against Curie. The Rams started fast opening a ten-point first half lead. In the second half, Curie went to a full court trapping press and chipped away at the lead. On the small court, Curie exceptionally physical full court trap was affective. But not effective enough, the new DePaul Prep line-up held the Condors off and won 43-40. Not that the win matters at all but what I saw was a young Rams team took all the beating that Curie could dish out and held the lead. It is very hard get ten down on a Tom Kleinschmidt team and win the game.

Benet was Benet. The new starters and the bench players filled their roles and won easily.

Loyola was Loyola. They were very athletic and active if a little rough around the edges when finishing at the rim and launching threes. Coach Livatino will get that fixed.

Loyola played Lincoln Park, another team in the coverage area. The Lions too looked a little rough around the edges but big and very physical. One knowledgeable observers thought they will struggle a little this coming season and finish in eight or ninth place in the Chicago Public League. Looks like they will have work to do to get back the CPL championship game in 26-27.

St. Ignatius looked like a well-oiled machine systematically dismantling Hillcrest 59-21. Everybody can score. Amir Tucker looks to have taken a step up even from stellar play last year. The whole team contributed. Junior Walter Ross impressed me. He can score and finish at the rim. They will be in the mix for the new Chicago Catholic League.

My old East Suburban Catholic Conference, a conference that my school St. Viator dominated for two decades by the time I was in high school some forty years ago, has now folded. The larger schools have joined the Chicago Catholic League. For basketball, the CCL will have three division this upcoming year.

Blue                                 White                             Red

Benet                               DeLaSalle                      Aurora Central

Brother Rice                     Fenwick                        Carmel

DePaul Prep                     Joliet Catholic               IC Catholic

Loyola                             Leo                           Nazareth

Marist                             Marmion Academy    Montini

Mount Carmel                 Marian Catholic             Providence

St. Ignatius                      Notre Dame                    Providence-St. Mel

St. Laurence                     St. Francis                     St. Francis de Sale

St. Patrick                        St. Viator                       St. Rita

The Blue is stacked with a ton of state tournament experience. It was been said by many that the Chicago Catholic League is the toughest conference in the state. The CCL Blue is even tougher with the addition of Marist, Benet and St. Patrick—the reigning 4A state champ, the runner up and a recent state 3A finalist.

Both St. Laurence and Mount Carmel are returning top players are expected to contend for a state title. Loyola is returning top players and is always tough. The eventual winner of the conference title will probably have multiple conference losses. It is any team’s title to earn.

As for the Chicago Public League, one well-known commentator who I pumped for information told me to keep an eye on Lane Tech. Their four wins at R-B did not go unnoticed. He said “Cole Christian is a stud. They are fast and they move the ball well.” He said the Champions will be at the top of the Public League with Curie, Whitney Young and Crane.

That’s what I’ve got for you.

I expect to see St. Laurence and Lane tomorrow so I will have my further impressions. More tomorrow.

R-Bs from the Past

Yesterday, I posted that I had been going to the Riverside-Brookfield Summer Shootout. Then today, while looking for something else, I found folders with the schedules and rosters from the 2021 and 2021 R-Bs.

I thought I would look to see which players were at R-B those years. 2021-2022 was the year of the great Glenbard West team, Caden Pierce, Braden Huff, et. al. The note I have next to that roster is “huge team.”

Jeremiah West was on Joliet West that year. R-B had top player that year. The State of Illinois had a top player. Miles and Wesley Rubin were on Simeon. Morez Johnson was on St. Rita. Nick Martinelli from Glenbrook South. Cameron Christie from Rolling Meadows.

If there was that kind of star talent this year at R-B, I didn’t know who they were. That’s okay. I will just pay more attention, study Prep Hoops to identify the top players.

The group of DePaul Prep players included Jaylin McElroy, Payton Kamin, PJ Chambers and Dylan Arnett. The Rams finished in 3rd place in 2A that year.

Riverside-Brookfield Summer Shootout

Best days of the summer.

I have been going to the R-B Summer Shootout for quite a few years. Not exactly sure how many but many. It’s usually right when baseball ends as it was this year. Lane had fallen to eventual 4A champs Libertyville in the Super on Monday. A couple days of summer and fall and basketball season started on Friday with the R-B. Just the way I like it.

This is going to be different basketball season. Our DePaul Prep Rams will have a different team. Gone are Rashaun Porter, Rykan Woo and AJ Chambers three multiyear starters that new nothing but reaching the state finals.

We do have starters Blake Choice and Gus Johnson back. Blake Choice looks like he will score most of the points. Gus scores a lot too and will man the boards. It was the other players that I wanted to check out.

Senior Elie Ghattas impressed on the boards and scoring. Sophomore Kalob Hayes looks like he will play point guard a lot. Ball handling was not an issue and he can shoot the three as well. Senior Henry Levin and AJ Williams are impressive three point shooters but it doesn’t help that they look so much alike. I was constantly got them mixed up.

Coach Kleinschmidt rotated everyone in and out in each of the games. It looked the starting line up is a work in progress with positions to be won and lost. Like I wrote above, a different kind of season for the Rams.

Seeing DePaul Prep was only part of the reason for R-B for me. It is a great opportunity to see teams I don’t get a chance to see.

The big news, that everyone expected, was that Jaxson Davis from Warren is going to some prep school in Missouri. I guess that is just what happens now—the best player in the state moves off to a prep school. Whatever. I can hardly blame the kid and his parents.

Benet just restocked blue chippers. They will be right there but in the Chicago Catholic League this year with the merger of the East Suburban Catholic Conference in all sports now, not just football.

I also saw St. Lawrence and Loyola. The Vikings look very good. They should challenge for the top spot.

I find my self writing the following often—“Loyola is Loyola.” The Ramblers are always good with Tom Livatino coachin’ ‘em up. I guess we will see if how the Ramblers will do with a shot clock. They are still going to be Loyola, even with a shot clock.

I actually didn’t get to see Mt. Carmel which could not be helped. An unnamed coach from another CCL team that I spoke to said Mt. Carmel could be special this year. We will have to keep an eye on them.

A team I did see that impressed me was DeLaSalle. Watch out for them. The might sneak up a few folks.

Interestingly, Lane went 4-0 at R-B with wins over Oswego East, Glenbard West, Lincoln Way East and Lake Forest even after losing so many starters. I wasn’t expecting four wins. Keep an eye on Champions and especially on junior center Cole Christian.

Finally, Whitney Young is good and BIG and talented. I did not get to see Curie and Simeon but they will have their hands full with the Dolphins.

Lane Falls to Libertyville 2-1 in 4A Super-sectional.

[Preview of this week’s article in Inside—Booster.]

By Jack Lydon

Lane’s historic season comes to an end. The Champions fell to the Libertyville Wildcats 2-1 in the class 4A Super-sectional game on Tuesday in Schaumburg. The Champions finished the season 33-7; 14-0 in the Chicago Public League.

The super was as close as it gets. The difference was the hitting of Liberyville senior first baseman Bradon Tolzien who drove in both Wildcats’ runs on two doubles to the wall in right.  

In the bottom of the first, Tolzien came up with two outs and leadoff hitter Trevor Wallace on first, Tolzien fought off pitch after pitch, including seven foul balls.

“I knew [Lane starter Ronan Owens] was gonna have to come slider at some point. I was just kept fouling off the fastball. So I was looking for him to hang one. He finally did and I was able to put in the gap,” Tolzien said.

Wallace from first for the first run of the game.

“He had great at bats. We knew he was one of their bigger bats, but we challenged him early. He fouled off like seven or eight pitches. He finally got to one he could handle,” said Lane head coach Sean Freeman of Tolzien’s first inning run-batted-in.

Again, in the bottom of the fifth, Libertyville’s Trevor Wallace singled to lead off the inning. Tolzien come up again but this time facing Champions left-handed pitcher Cruz Warren. After Wallace had advanced to third and two out, Tolzien crushes another double, this time to the right field corner to score Wallace from third.  2-0 Wildcats.

“I knew at 3-1 he had it comes to give me something to hit. So I was sitting on fastball. I got it. I was able to put it [out there,] Tolzien continued.

After Tolzien’s two RBIs, the game was by no means over. Champions’ hurlers Ronan Owens, Cruz Warren and Hunter Smith combined to shut down Libertyville. The Champions rallied with a run in the top of the sixth to make it 2-1. Isaiah Martin scored from third on Zolan Wyatt’s single with one out.

Things looked up for Champions in top of the seventh when Miles Mazonowski crushed a ball to deep left field that looked like it might be a game tying home run but it stayed in the park for a long single.

Libertyville pitcher senior Chase Lockwood recovered. A pinch runner for Mazonowski was caught stealing, and Lockwood retired the side for a complete game with seven hits, one run, one walk and seven strike outs.

“Obviously, Lockwood on the mound did a great job. We had our chances late. Just couldn’t quite get it done. They are a great team and a great program. To be the champs, you gotta beat the champs. They were just a touch better than us tonight,” said Freeman.

“It's the most wins we have had and the farthest we've gone in the state tournament since I've been the head coach. So overall it's been an incredible year. These guys are taking us to new heights and raised the bar yet again. We're getting close and excited that get after it in the next year with the returning kids,” Freeman added.

Northcenter Chamber of Commerce Ribfest 2026

Ribfest kind of snuck up on me this year despite meetings for months. It was a great event. The food was great. The weather was gorgeous. My college friends came. Even my darling children made an appearance.

I ate a lot of ribs. All were good. Some were better than others. Aussom Aussie Barbecue won both Critics’ Choice and People’s Choice Awards. Quite a coup for our friends from downunder. First time a participant has ever won both Critics’ Choice and People’s Choice awards.

See you next year at Ribfest!

DePaul Prep Hockey's First Ever Game, 7-4 Win Over Cloudbusters

DePaul College Prep has started a hockey team. This group of Rams had their first game Friday night at the Blackhawks Ice Rink across from the United Center. These new Rams defeated the Cloudbusters, a club team from Oklahoma, 7-4, on Friday, May 29, 2026.

To start at least, the DePaul Prep hockey team will be in the Chicago Catholic Hockey League, a conference with other Catholic school hockey programs, such as Fenwick, St. Viator, and Carmel.

“It’s a good league for us to join out of the gate here. I am excited for the guys, but we will start at the junior varsity level in the first season,” said David Heflin, the first ever head coach of DePaul Prep hockey.

“I think excitement is probably the best word for sure but pressure is definitely part of the equation,” Heflin continued.

“DePaul Prep has a very prestigious athletic program. When we come in as a hockey program, we are just looking to build on top of that. We are not trying to reinvent the wheel in terms of what the DePaul culture is and how they have been so successful. We are just trying to take what they currently have and make it our own with the hockey team moving forward.”

They must know that they have a lot to live up to as a DePaul Prep athletic team because they did not start slow. The Rams beat the Cloudbusters 7-4 in a high scoring affair.

It might be more correct to write that a DePaul Prep hockey team started. Technically, the team is separate from the school and is more like a club than a varsity sport. I understand that is the way hockey works for the most part. That won’t matter much. The players on the team are, or soon will be, students at the school.

DePaul Prep junior Colin Burke, an Old Irving Park neighborhood resident and graduate of St. Edward School, became the first hockey player to ever score a goal for DePaul Prep with 8:52 remaining in the first period. He was pretty excited after the game with a giant smile on his face.

“It feels pretty good. Brand new program. Great school. I am excited,” Burke said.

“We are all very excited. DePaul has tons of sports, tons of great sports, we a glad to be included. It’s just going to be a lot of fun.”

Burke did not seem to be phased by expectations of being a DePaul Prep sport given the school’s remarkable athletic successes since being established.

“I don’t think we will be able to live up to [championship] expectations in the very beginning but overall that’s how you build a good team. You gotta start at some point. I am sure the basketball team wasn’t great when they first started but they built it over time and that’s what we are going to do,” Burke said.

And so we are off, hockey at DePaul Prep. Hockey will we be a fall sport with a short two month spring season too. The games will be at the Chicago Park District’s McFetridge Sports Center, 3841 North California, just north of DePaul’s Fr. Gordon Campus, the old Gordon Tech facility.

More to come on this for sure. I have a lot of learning to do on how to photograph hockey. It is challenging as one might be able to tell from the terrible photos below. God willing I will learn quickly, especially if I can get some help from the super talented Sun-Times photographer Kirsten Stickney, an expert hockey photographer in addition to all the other sports.

DePaul Prep Wins Playoff 1-0 Over Loyola; Lane Tops St. Patrick 8-5

[Preview of this week’s Inside—Booster article.]

By Jack Lydon

“One for the ages.”

That’s what I wrote in a preview early in the week about Saturday’s 4A regional final between Chicago Catholic League rivals DePaul Prep and Loyola Academy. And well, it actually turned out that way.

The DePaul Prep Rams defeated the Loyola Academy Ramblers 1-0 at Kerry Wood Cubs Park in extra innings. Rams’ senior first baseman Nolan Hecht doubled off the right field fence to score Quinn Roberts with one out in the top of the ninth. The only run all day.

The biggest hit of his life?

“Ya, that was really cool,” Hecht said. “It was a four-seam fastball. I got that pitch in the last  at bat. I knew I was getting it again [for the first pitch]. I just jumped on it.”

It was a great day for Rams pitching. Senior left-hander Liam Daly was spectacular starting the game for the Rams; five innings, one hit, no runs. Rams’ junior right-hander Finn Nash finished the game and got the win after four innings of two hit baseball.

“I didn’t even know we were in extras. It was kind of crazy actually. I didn’t even know I was in that moment,” Nash said about his appearance.

This Rams victory seems unlikely from the start. It was against the odds. They had beaten Loyola twice already this year: a 5-4 company win on May 11and a 12-9 slugfest the following day. It’s really hard to beat a team three times in a row.

Not only that but the Rams had chances early in the game and failed to capitalize. First and second with nobody out in the both the top of the second and the top of the third. Runners again in the top of the fifth and six. The Rams looked snakebit.

DePaul Prep skipper Sam Colon knew he had to dig deep to get his team ready for this one.

“This is why you got up at 5:00 to practice in December. You did it for today,” Colon told his team before the game.

Sam also put in a lot of time arguing with the umpires during early innings after some head scratching calls.

“You gotta show intensity. I had to show my guys I was willing to fight for them. I am willing to go to bat for them too. I am a high energy guy and I want to be able to provide that for my team,” Colon said.

It was that kind of intensity that Quinn Roberts, Nolan Hecht and Finn Nash carried into the ninth. It was that intensity that the Ramblers lacked.

The Rams’ gritty victory actually happened right in front of their next opponent. The extra inning affair meant the Lane Tech players and coaches watched the final three innings and saw firsthand the intensity and focus of the immediate neighbors.

The Champions opened fast against the Shamrocks scoring five runs in the first. The Shamrocks drew even in the top of the fourth, but the Champions proved their metal adding three more runs in the fourth and fifth.

Lane Tech’s Cruz Warren earned the victory after going four innings, with four hits, one run and striking out six. The Champions will DePaul Prep at Kerry Wood in Wednesday’s sectional semi-final game, at Kerry Wood Cubs Field, a fitting battleground between the two schools.

DePaul Prep Defeats Evanston 6-4

The DePaul Prep Rams closed out the regular season on Saturday with a 6-4 win over the Evanston Wildkits at Kerry Wook Cubs Field on Saturday morning.

The Rams had everything in control leading 6-1 going into the top of the seventh. The Wildkits scored three runs but with only one out but Keaton Murphy got the save with one one pitch. The Evanston hitter bounced into a 6-4-3 game ending double play.

The Rams finished the regular season with an 18-16 record on the regular season. The Rams open the IHSA 4A baseball playoffs on Thursday against Northside College Prep at Kerry Wood Cubs Field at 4:30 p.m.

DePaul Prep v. Taft--Late Post of Girls' Soccer Photos

Last Tuesday, the DePaul Prep Rams girls soccer team defeated Taft 3-0 in the IHSA 3A Regional Semi-final at Knute Rochne Stadium. This post was overtaken by events in that the Rams subsequently lost 3-1 to Lane Tech in the Regional Championship game on last Friday evening.

It was the Rams last victory of the season. I posted the photos on Instagram already but I am putting them up here so you can get a better view than on your phones.

DePaul Prep's Tough Loss to Riverside-Brookfield

Last week was full. I shot the five events in six days:

DePaul Prep baseball v. Riverside Brookfield on Monday;

DePaul Prep soccer v. Taft on Tuesday;

Taft v. Whitney Young baseball championship on Thursday;

DePaul Prep soccer v. Lane on Friday; and

DePaul Prep baseball v. Evanston on Saturday.

I got my money’s worth of the Canon EF-100-300mm f2.8 telephoto lens that I rented for the week. That bad boy is sweet. It is so sharp. The 2.8 f-stop makes such a difference in evening games. I have to get one. They are really expensive so I will have to shop around and save my pennies. But I have to get one.

I digress. It’s time to start posting the photos from the week.

The first game was DePaul Prep v. Riverside-Brookfield on Monday evening at Kerry Wood. It was a heart-breaker for our Rams. 2-0 lost against R-B’s senior pitcher Ronnie Murray who hurled a masterpiece. A complete game shutout only giving up 3 hits, 1 walk with 9 strike-outs. Sometimes you run up against an ace.

These are my photos from the game.